Christmas in July
by brandirandom21
Summary: Ben gets the idea to celebrate something unlikely in the hottest month of the year. Got it from watching CN today
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own B10 UA 'cause MOA does. If I did, I would release new episodes sooner. NOT in 10.10.10. I don't torment people like that :( So this is my first fanfic being published anywhere, so if it comes out looking like crap, well…I'll make some adjustments. Hope you like it and please review!

~Christmas in July~

:Kevin's POV:

Seriously, where does this kid get the ideas from?

Ben Tennyson is one of the most dumb people I know, besides Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton. The guy loves his Sumo Slammers, having every volume of the DVDs, toy (he calls them collectables. I call 'em toys), video game and card that exists in the merchandise. He was also obsessed with smoothies and experimenting with the different flavors. It sometimes worries me that _he's _the one that controls the Ultimatrix.

So, anyway. Ben decided to have a Christmas party at Gwen's house. Gwen's parents were cool with it, they just were out for the day and we were responsible for the house. Which is okay. Christmas parties are okay too. There's just one thing.

It was the middle of freaking July. The hottest, most least likely month of the year to celebrate Christmas. At all. But hell, it was Ben.

Julie and Gwen went to the store and bought the Christmas essentials. Sugar cookie dough, frosting, food coloring, sprinkles, red and green table cloths, a Christmas CD, old five dollar Christmas DVDs and mistletoe. Me and Ben were responsible for the drinks and the invites.

We invited most of the crew over. Manny, Helen, Cooper, Alan and Max were the only ones that we were really close too and the only ones that I knew that didn't care about celebrating Christmas on the hottest day of the year. A party was a party.

We all went home to get our stuff together. Presents weren't anything to worry about at this party. Gwen said that we could just hang out, bake some Christmas cookies and watch movies. We were to return to her house at 6pm, dressed up Christmas themed and ready with extra snacks and Christmas stuff.

When I went home, Mom was in the kitchen, making some lunch. She was dressed up in a skirt and jacket, her hair pinned up. "Hey Mom. Going to work?"

She looked up, smiling. "Mm-hm." She frowned a little. "Hey sweetie…I may be out a little bit late. Maybe the whole night."

"Oh that's cool. I'll be at Gwen's house. She's having a party."

She smiled again, the smile lighting up her face. She's heard everything about Gwen. 'Cause most of it's come from me. "Oh really? That's good. Is it like a summer barbeque?"

"Uhh…more like, Christmas in July."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Yeah…weird right?"

She laughed. "It defiantly sounds different. So are you getting presents?"

"Nuh-uh. It's more of a social thing or whatever."

She nodded. "Well alright. You get ready." She gave me a kiss on the cheek, put her food in a container and put it in her hand bag along with a bottle of water. "I'm out of here."

"Love you Mom."

"Love you too sweetie." And with a quick ruffle of my hair, she was out the door and out to work in a cubicle. I sighed heavily. I felt bad, knowing she was out at a miserable job and I was going to be partying with some friends. I shook it off, knowing Mom would say for me to enjoy myself and not to worry about her. She was strong, independent.

I went to my room and dug through my closet. It was almost a black hole in there. Once you come in, you never come back out. Take out boxes, empty Gatorade bottles, and a lot of other junk that I hadn't bothered to clear out. I went into the corner of the closet and found what I hoped was what I needed.

It was the same tuxedo I wore when Gwen and I went out to her dance. The tear on the jacket got fixed, thanks to Mom and it was draped up in a plastic wrap. I pulled it out and tried it on. It still fit surprisingly well, even though I grew a few inches. I ditched the tie and the coat, rolling up the sleeves of the white dress shirt and put on the dress shoes. I left my hair as it was. Gwen loved it the way that it was, so I let it be.

I looked around the closet even more. Seeing the mess and how much time I had to fart around with, I went through my things. I grabbed the garbage can and started filling it with crap. Then I came across something.

It was a wooden box. It looked like my Mom's jewelry box, except it didn't have any flower prints on it. It was smooth and plain. I opened the gold clasp and my eyes widened a little.

There were old papers, a small notebook and a few pictures. These weren't just any pictures and papers though.

It was my Dad's things.

I held up the notebook and flipped through it. It was a journal of something. I slowed down a bit looking at the words. One passage shocked me a little.

_Today is the baby's second month. We are not sure of the gender quite yet, but me and Olivia are certain that it is a boy. We both wish to name him Kevin Ethan Levin. I know that it does sound a bit, how humans say, "corny", but once I was looking at the name meaning books, I was certain that this is going to be my son's name. Olivia loves it too. Kevin means "handsome" in the old Celtic language. Ethan means "strong" and "firm." We both know our baby boy will be handsome and strong, just like his father. If it is a girl…well…we can make a few arrangements._

I looked up, only to feel my eyes burning up with tears. I shook my head and sighed, breathing deeply to calm myself down. I put the notebook back and dug through some more, finding pictures of my dad and my mom as teenagers and when they were married. I found a note with my name on it. Curious, I read it.

_Kevin Ethan Levin,_

_Dear son. I do not know when you will receive this letter. You may never get this or you have it in your hands now. I do know, however, that you know that you are the best thing in my life. I and Olivia love you so much. Olivia, a human that I grew to love, has given birth to you, a wonderful, handsome baby boy. Right now you are two years and are experiencing your talents that I also have. Your mother gets a little annoyed. Your tantrums have led to a few burned out kitchen appliances. _

_You look so much like me. You have the eyes, the hair. You also resemble your mother a bit. You have a big heart and you have that soft, pale complexion. I'm glad to have you, glad to see a child of my own creation alive and well._

_I am writing this because I know that one day I may not be alive. As a Plumber, it is dangerous and risky. You do what you can to preserve peace in this universe. There are people out there that want to disrupt that peace, that lose that grip on reality. They want power and control over people. Others lose their lives to protect others from people like that. I am one of those people that want to save the others from danger. I want people to live and breathe. I want you and your mother to be alive and well._

_You will be a Plumber one day, most likely. I wish you too. That would be an honor, to have you in my place one day._

_And also Kevin. May you find the one. Whether it be human or alien. _

_Love your father,_

_Devin_

I traced the words, speechless. My heart began to pump faster in my chest, a new feeling in me. I felt more proud. I put the letter back in the box and checked the time. "Ah, shit!" It was 6:03. Gwen was going to kill me.

I brought the box with me and drove as quickly as I could to the party.

A/N: Huzzah! First chapter. What's Kevin gonna do with that box? Hmm…all depends if I can continue. You MUST review and tell me if you like it or not, alright? No flames puh-LEZE. Hate it.

Thanks so much! : )


	2. How It Started

Disclaimer: Don't own Ben 10 UA 'cause MOA does. Thank you for the reviews guys :D I appreciate it! And Kait, yeah it's true. It was revealed at the Comic Con. I'm watching CSI and the girl that voices as Gwen (Ashley Johnson) plays as a prostitute that murdered a guy O.O The episode's called Ending Happy. It's a strange episode…any who, here's the story!

Christmas in July

Chapter Two

:Ben's POV:

3:56 pm

"What?"

Everyone looked at me like I had four eyes. Which, in some cases with the Ultimatrix, I did.

Kevin rolled his eyes. "Christmas? In July? Seriously?"

"What, it's not bad is it?" I asked.

Gwen frowned a little. "It's not, it's just…it sounds a bit odd. Christmas takes place in the coldest month of the year. Today's breaking heat records with 102° in the highs."

Julie smiled. "Now that I think of it…it sounds kinda cool. I mean, we can bake cookies and decorate them. Watch Christmas movies."

Gwen grinned, getting into it. "Oh! So we can do like a Christmas _themed _party. Guess Ben wasn't all that crazy…"

The girls launched into the plans, talking about everything that we needed. Then Gwen got up and grabbed the phone. "Hey, Mom? It's me. Hey. I'm fine. Uh-huh…Well, I wanted to ask you something. Ben wanted to throw a Christmas themed party here. Yeah, it sounds weird, but it sounds like fun." A laugh. "Yeah, we'll clean up after ourselves too. Oh, you'll be out all night? Daddy too? Ok…alright I will. Love you too Mom. Alright. Bye."

She sat back down on the couch. "Alright, my parents are okay with it. We're responsible for all the cleaning up."

Kevin rose an eyebrow. "You're parents'll be out?"

"Yeah, they have a lot of work to do at their jobs." Gwen looked at us, a serious expression on her face. "Alright. Me and Julie will be at the store for awhile. We need to get everything from cookie dough to the mistletoe."

"Mistletoe?" Kevin perked up like an eager puppy. I gagged. Kevin and Gwen needed to get a room. Seriously. Not that I should talk since I have Julie, but we don't get into full out make out sessions.

"Yes. Mistletoe." They exchanged that really gross look, like they were making out with their eyes. Ew.

"OK. Enough of that," I cut in. "Me and Kevin'll do the drinks and the invites."

"Alright."

The girls went out to Gwen's Lexus and drove off. I turned to Kevin, grinning. "So. Who are we gonna invite first?"

"Invite the guys we know. Who we all know. Not just your friends, not just Julie's. Manny, Helen, Coop, Alan…even Max."

"Grandpa Max?"

"He can come over. He's the only cool old guy I know. Espicially in your family."

"Hey! It's Gwen's family too."

Kevin laughed. "Alright. Let's get to inviting."

5:01 pm

The girls tumbled in with heavy plastic bags, giggling like mad. "We're here!" Julie smiled. Putting down the bags, she plopped down on the couch. "So you boys did your part?"

"Yup. Invited Cooper, Manny, Alan, Grandpa Max and Helen." I looked at the bags. "So what did you get?"

"Well, there was this sale at a DVD store that was selling old holiday movies for five dollars," Gwen said. She held up a Rudolph DVD. "Is this considered old?"

"Looks old."

"And we bought lots of cookie dough. LOTS. We're going to be sugar high today."

Gwen nodded, acting all official. "OK. We go to our houses. Dress up in your Christmas wear and bring your Christmas stuff. Don't get any presents. We're all just going to hang out and have fun. And be here by 6."

Gwen drove Julie home and Kevin and I hopped into our cars. I was excited. For once in forever, we didn't have to worry about aliens or paparazzi up my ass. I could just party without a care.

Plus getting sugar high didn't sound like such a bad thing either.

A/N: Hurray for the second chapter. It's getting somewhere…I'm getting into the heads of everyone, so the secrets of the box shall be revealed soon…up next is Gwen's POV! Remember to review! It makes me happy :D Plus I didn't know there'd be people in India, Spain or Aussie reading this…very cool


	3. Gwen's Side

Disclaimer: Don't own Ben 10 UA 'cause MOA does. I've written so many stories and fanfictions that I can't remember how much I've written. Out of all the content I've written though, Gwen is the most comfortable character that I've written about. So comes an easy chapter :D Hope you like this…finding out how to put in the second chapter was a & %^&)(*&*^$ pain in the ass D: lol enjoy

Chapter Three

:Gwen's POV:

Ben is one of the most interesting people in my life. Top five at least. That can come out as a good way or bad way. One, because he makes you laugh, can make you smile, saves the world, knows how to fight and can support you. Two, because he makes you question your sanity, confuses you, can have a major, bloated ego, can trip on his plans and can be a total ass. It sounds like it makes absolutely no sense but…neither does Ben.

One day, he planned a Christmas in July party. Sounds completely weird, I know. That's what I first thought. Then I grew to love the idea and pounced into plan making with Julie. We had it all figured out. We had to have the traditional sugar cookies and decorations. Julie and I even brought mistletoe for kicks.

When invitations we sent out and we had what we really needed, Ben, Julie and Kevin went to their houses to get dressed up and bring any extra Christmas stuff that they had. I stayed home and made a dash for the closet.

I am just like any other girl, you know, besides the whole energy being subject. I worry about every little single detail of my body. I curled my hair, trying to get each little curl perfect. Then I put on some foundation, mascara and lipstick. I screwed up with the eyeliner then had to redo everything around the eyes.

Finding clothes was hard. I mean, I had a _lot _of clothes (serious understatement) but I couldn't find anything suitable. Any Christmas wear that I had was fleecy and cliché, looking like a grandma would knit and give to their grandchild, much to the kid's distaste. So, rummaging around some more, I found something.

The top was dark red and satiny. It was sleek and soft in my hands and once I put it on I felt a little proud of myself. It revealed my curves and slimmed around my flat stomach. The spaghetti straps disappeared under my long red hair, showing off my shoulders. Then I put on a white pencil skirt and high heels. I checked myself in the mirror. Something was missing…

I went into the unfinished basement and went through Christmas bins. Dusty boxes of Christmas lights and long forgotten ornaments were hidden under the new Christmas decorations. After a few minutes, I found what I needed.

A Santa hat. I put it on my head and laughed. I probably looked like a total dork. The cotton ball that was attached to the hat drooped over my eyes and the hat felt a little big on me. I put the lids back on the bins and head back upstairs. I began to set up everything. I cleared the coffee table and put the green and red tablecloth on it. I set up a liter of Coke (since it was a red Christmassy color) and Sprite (green Christmassy color) and a big bowl of caramel Christmas popcorn, putting them on the table as well. I pulled out the cookie essentials out in the kitchen. There was enough cookie dough to have to let everyone make their own batch of cookies and decorate them.

The doorbell rang and I checked to see it was. Helen, Manny, Cooper, Alan and Grandpa Max were there. Along with-

"Pierce, ohmigosh, the guys must've forgotten you!"

Pierce smiled, but he seemed a little annoyed as well. "Well, apparently I'm not really that much of an importance."

"Of course you are," I said, a little embarrassed. "I'm so sorry. You're more than welcome Pierce to join in, believe me. Come in guys."

Manny plopped down on the couch already helping himself with the drinks and the popcorn, one hand grabbing a cup, one grabbing the Coke, one shoving a handful of popcorn in his mouth and the other resting on the couch arm. "So, where are the others?"

"Getting ready. You're all early. It's 5:56."

He laughed. "Only four minutes early Gwen. Nothing to be surprised about."

Helen scoffed, rolling her eyes. Then she turned to me, smiling. "You look really cute. Especially with the hat."

"You think so?"

Cooper eagerly agreed. "Uh huh. Most defiantly." Then he let out a dreamy sigh.

I smiled. "Thank you Cooper." I remembered the mistletoe above our heads. "Oh yeah. Here…" I gave him a peck on the cheek. He blushed and jumped on the couch, busy to distract himself and hide his face.

Grandpa Max chuckled. "You know what you're doing is unfair."

I sighed. "You're right." Cooper has had a major crush on me ever since I was ten years old. He's a year younger than me, but looks a little like a twelve year old boy with big blue eyes, pale skin, blonde hair and pudgy figure. He knows Kevin and I are serious in our relationship, but Cooper doesn't give up. Ever. He's a very determined nerd, no matter how mean that sounds.

Helen and Pierce sat down ready to snack and socialize. Grandpa Max sighed. "Well, I cooked something up for you guys. A rare dish that's a delicacy in Korea."

I grimaced. "Really?"

"Really."

I let out a groan. "Thanks Grandpa. Is it some sort of…Korean Christmas dish?" I knew they celebrated differently, but that's not the point. His dishes are lethal.

"No. It's red and green though. It's got Christmas colors." With a laugh he sat on the couch to join the others and my stomach growled in discomfort.

At least I could count on the cookies.

A/N: Chapter Three completed :D Hoozah! And Sky commented! Me and Kelly love you to death (not literally don't worry :D) and we love your work. Thank you all for the reviews. Keep it coming along! Just click those happy little blue words below and keep this story going Loving the support!


	4. Julie Yamamoto's Story

Author's Notes: Don't own Ben 10 UA 'cause MOA does…sadly. I'm pretty sure all the fans want a little piece of it ha ha :) So I'm getting reviews and I'm content with that ^.^ Thank you guys so much for favoriting my story and reviewing. I also like the little Truth or Dare suggestion…I'll see about that. I still need to put everything together and see if I can fit it in…SO here is Julie's side. I have to warn you, I'm not good with Julie because I haven't really got into her character…but I'll try!

Chapter Four

:Julie's POV:

"Hey Mom, Dad. I'm home." I closed the door behind me and looked into the living room. Mom and Dad were in there on the couch, watching some Japanese game show on G4. I raised an eyebrow. "I thought you hated those shows."

Mom looked away from the screen to smile. Her thick Japanese accent mixed with the words. "American television has a funny way of portraying the Japanese entertainment." She turned to Dad. "Isn't that right, Atsuko?"

He shrugged. "Sure, I guess. Hoshi, can you pass me the popcorn?" It was funny to see both my Mom and Dad talk to each other. My Mom was from Japan, while my Dad was Japanese-American. My Mom was more fluent in Japanese and familiar with the culture while my Dad spoke very little Japanese and was more into American culture. Mom liked baseball while Dad liked football. They both celebrated the holidays differently. Christmas in Japan was more of a couple thing than the American way of family get together and presents.

"Hey, um…I'm going back to Gwen's house at six, since she's having a party."

Mom frowned. "Oh really? And you never bothered to ask us if that was alright? You never bothered to ask us for permission."

"Hoshi, it's fine," Dad sighed. "She can go to the party. She's got Ben Tennyson as a boyfriend _and _a bodyguard." He smiled at me, making me relax a little. He understood me more than Mom did. He lived in America as a teenager with relaxed, comfortable parents, while Mom lived with strict parents in Japan, having to follow Japanese customs. "So what kinda party is it? Sleepover, barbeque…"

"Christmas in July. We're baking cookies and watching Christmas movies. No presents, just a hang out."

"Neat! So you gonna dress up as a little elf or something?"

I grimaced, imaging it. "No way."

He laughed. "Alright. You need any snacks? If it's a big party then you'll need a lot of extras. Food and drinks don't last past five minutes in any party I've known about."

"There's a safe bet that that's true," I smiled. "Hold on. I need to get ready." I dashed to my room, shut the door and went through all my clothes. I had a light red tank top and white skinny jeans. I put them on and looked in my jewelry bag, seeing if I had anything Christmassy to wear. I found a green bead necklace and a reindeer bracelet. Yes. A reindeer bracelet. It had tiny little reindeer charms on it and the day I bought it, I thought it was cute. Whatever. It was Christmassy enough.

I ditched make-up and hair. It didn't need to be dress up time. I had to find some snacks that would last.

I walked back into the kitchen to find Dad already going through cabinets. He had three bags of nacho cheese Doritos and two liters of Mountain Dew. He put a jar of salsa on the counter, looking at me. "Are you sure that's all your going to be wearing?"

"It's not a dance Dad."

"But you're going to be with your boyfriend. I mean, I'm not telling you to dress racy or anything. And what you're wearing is fine."

I cut him off before he could embarrass himself anymore than he was. "It's fine. So, this is what you picked out?"

"Yeah, they're expiring next week. So I decided, 'Hell, her friends will use 'em.' I mean, these are like, jumbo sized bags."

"Very good Dad." I gave him a grateful kiss on the cheek. "Thank you. Anything Christmassy?"

"Not really. It's summer time. Think any stores are selling egg nog?"

"They're selling Christmas lights."

"…I did not know that."

I grinned, rolling my eyes. My cell phone rang and I picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hey!" Ben said excitedly on the other line. "Ready to go?"

"Uh huh. Got more snacks. What about you?"

"Uhhhh…I got an inflatable Santa Claus and some vanilla frosting. Other than that…not so much."

I laughed. He was the craziest, most loveable guy I knew. God I was lucky to have him. "Alright. Well pick me up when you can."

"Already on it." I could hear the purring of his car engine. "See you in a moment Julie."

"Alright." I hang up and grabbed a few plastic bags from the closet and started putting the chips, salsa and drinks in there. "Thank you Dad. And Mom."

I heard an "hmph" from the living room. Dad sighed. "Ignore her. She's being a little crabby because you didn't do what she wanted to do."

"Let's hope she doesn't keep that grudge when I get back."

"Yeah, really." Ben's car let out a honk. "Well, that's your ride."

I ran to the door and what I saw when I opened the door was…

Really.

Really.

Disturbing.

Ben stood on my doorstep with that goofy big smile on his face. He wore a red jacket with a pillow or two stuffed underneath it, red baggy sweatpants, a black belt and a Santa hat. And he had elf ears. It reminded me of the moment when Dad asked if I was going to dress as an elf. I sure as hell wasn't.

But he did.

I pursed my lips, trying to keep in that laugh that was really hard to keep in. I looked down, holding up the bags. "Can you put this in the backseat?"

"Sure thing." I looked up and found Ben throwing the bags over his shoulder, turning around and marching to his car. He threw the stuff into the car and to my absolute horror, he shouted at the very top of his lungs, "HO HO HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

That laugh couldn't be held in forever.

A/N: Sigh. Yeah, Ben is as good as anything can be :) So there it is! Fourth chapter. Thanks for waiting! And if you haven't yet, read my other story "How It Begins" as you're waiting. You don't have to. Just a suggestion. Reviews make any writer happy! Including this one :D


	5. Cookies and Some Rick 'n Rolling

Disclaimer: YOU CAN'T MAKE ME SAY IT MOA! You _may_ own Ben 10, but I wanna rebel! REBEL I SAY! *ahem* So, moving on. This is the fifth chapter is up and ready to roll :D The box shall be revealed. Soon. Eventually. Sometime next week. I gotta baby bro that's nine months and is starting to walk. He likes to explore and chew on things…including wires. Which means I only get my time when my parents are watching him or if he's asleep. So here's the fifth chapter…let the spontaneous wackiness begin :)

Chapter Five

Let's Get This Moving Already

:Gwen's POV:

6:07 pm

I kept getting worried. Where was Kevin? Ben and Julie just walked in a few minutes ago and the others were there, already watching an old version of A Christmas Carol on my TV. Then I just told myself it was fine. Relax. Kevin might be still looking for things and getting ready. I turned my attention to Ben, trying to distract myself. Which I found was something that was very easy to do.

"Ben? What are you wearing?"

Ben looked at me with a grin, elf ears and Santa gear making him like the biggest dork in the universe. I fought a laugh, trying to keep my composure.

"I'm Santa_, duhhhhh_."

"Can't make it any more obvious," Julie muttered, rolling her eyes. She looked like she had a hard time not laughing too. I smiled at the two. I was really happy. For the both of them. Julie was a shy girl and when Ben started to talk to her before they started dating, she began to shine a little. Then there was Ben. When he had those crushes on those girls Elena and Kai, he ended up being crushed. And like I had said before, there was a secret that involved around two little words.

Be yourself.

And he was himself and got the girl that he'd always wanted. No matter how much of a goof he was, he got his girl.

"Yo Gwen, where's Kevin at?" Manny asked.

"Not sure. He'll be here though." _I hope_, I added to myself. I shook it off. "So, do you guys like sugar cookies?"

Manny grinned. "Mm-hm. Any cookie is fine. Except for raisin oatmeal…I hate them."

Helen looked at him. If she had one, she would raise an eyebrow. 'What's so bad about oatmeal raisin? They're good."

"Raisins don't belong in cookies alright? They don't even deserve to exist. Regular grapes are better."

"Raisins are good for you," Cooper said, getting into the conversation. "And they do taste good if you put them in some cereals."

"Nuh-uh!" Ben cut in. "Would you put raisins in Fruit Loops? Noooo. Doubt that."

"That's why I said _some_."

As Cooper, Manny, Helen and a disgruntled Ben argued about raisins, I turned to Julie, hoping to listen to more of a sane person. "So."

Julie grinned. "That all you can come up with?"

I sighed heavily. "You're no help."

Pierce decided to join in. "Hey, Gwen, would you happen to have any training tip? I've heard you're a black belt in taekwondo, judo and karate. My team needs a little help with that."

I smiled, relieved. "Sure thing, but uh…" I looked down at my outfit and he nodded, understanding.

"I know, not today."

"Thanks. Though, whenever you want help, I can try to make some arrangements. It's totally fine."

Julie looked at my outfit, her eyes widening. "Oh gosh…I almost didn't even notice. That outfit is _really_ cute."

"You just acknowledged this? Just now?"

She blushed, embarrassed. "Sorry. Got distracted from _him_." He pointed to Ben who was arguing with Manny over Pop tarts and toaster strudels. I rolled my eyes. Ok, so saying that Ben was a goof was a major understatement. There was really no other way of describing him at all.

When the doorbell rang, I felt an instant wave of relief. He was finally here. I quickly got up, swatting the hat's cotton ball out of my eyes and straightening myself up before opening the door. Kevin grinned when I opened the door. "Hey there. Don't you look all dressed up?"

I scowled. "That's it? That's all you have to say?

He chuckled. He looked over at the others, seeing the bickering Ben, Cooper, Helen and Manny. Alan was talking to Grandpa Max while Julie just watched the others, smiling. The scrooge was talking to his Christmas past on the TV. He looked back at me, smiling. "Coast's clear." He leaned in, brushing the curls of hair from my ear. "You look beautiful. You always do. You putting on some new skirt and top isn't going to make me realize that." He kissed my neck, my heart leaping up in my throat.

"Thank you," I murmured. "So what took you so long? You must've lost track of time."

Something flickered in his dark eyes, his lip's corner twitching. "You can say that."

I looked down at his outfit, smiling. "Well this looks familiar doesn't it?" He was wearing his same dress shirt and black pants that he wore to go to my prep school's formal dance. Remembering everything that had happened that one night just made me happy no matter what mood I was in.

He nodded. "Only decent nice thing I could find. So. There's something I needed to show you later."

"What is it?"

"It's a secret." He gave me a wink and I frowned. Why did he always have to do that to me?

"C'mon, join the others." I pulled him to the couch and the only one that turned to us was Julie.

"So, what's with Benji? He plannin' on attending a pet costume show?"

That got Ben's attention. "Gee. Nice to see _you_ again," he said, glaring at him.

Kevin did his trademark smirk. "Same here." He sat down, taking the Coke and pouring what little left there was in his cup. Ben and the others ceased their argument, staring at him. "What? Something on my face?"

"Not your face. You look actually…_tidy_ for once," Helen said.

"Yeah, really," Pierce nodded. "Last time I saw you, you looked like you rolled around in oil."

"That's probably 'cause I was fixing my car." Duh. That'd be anyone's guess.

"So, we gonna make some cookies or what?" Ben asked, a crazy grin on his face. I'd have to really limit his amount. "Sure. Why not?"

The guys acted more excited than us girls…which scared me a bit. Julie stayed behind, saying that she wanted to finish watching the movie. We paid money (Only five bucks, no deal) at a discount store and she wanted to see if the quality was worth it. That was Julie.

So I joined Grandpa Max and the others. He said what the directions were and everyone got started. The kitchen was big enough for all of us. There was a lot of countertop space, having baking sheets sprinkled with flour (A/N: Cooking tip: It helps the dough to not stick on to the paper or the counter when you're making your cookies) out with bucket loads of dough, frosting and decorations. Cookie cutters were in the middle and everyone grabbed what they wanted. I grabbed a Christmas tree. It was more fun and a lot easier to be creative with that than the candy cane one.

Kevin stood next to me. He began kneading his share of cookie dough, smiling at me. "You shouldn't have worn that nice lil' outfit. You're gonna get it all dirty now."

"Not really." I kneaded into my cookie dough, feeling a little jinxed as I felt the sticky dough get in between my fingernails. I grabbed the roller and began to smooth out the dough into an inch thickness. "So, what's the little secret you have to share?" I mock whispered. The others were too absorbed to notice though.

"Not telling yet."

"When are you then?"

"Well, obviously not now, since I just told you that."

I frowned. "You know how impatient I can get Kevin. Please tell me?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Why not?"

He looked up, grinning. He had that teasing look in his eyes. "'Cause I love to mess around with you. When you get all mad like this, you kinda turn me on."

I felt all the blood rush to my cheeks. "KEVIN!" I elbowed him, then regretted it, a tweak of pain coming into my elbow to my wrist. "Ow…"

Kevin chuckled, working on his cookie dough. He took the roller that I had used, and began rolling it out. As I began to press the cutter into the gooey dough, I peeked over at him. As he concentrated, there was something in his eyes. Something deep, something I couldn't describe-

"GOD DAMN SON OF A BITCH!"

I snapped out of it quick. All of us rushed into the living room to see what made Julie so upset.

"What's wrong Juli-" Before I could finish, there was Rick Astley singing that infamous song on the television.

_Never gonna give you up_

_Never gonna let you down_

_Never gonna run around and desert you_

"I got freaking _Rick Rolled_. God dammit…and on A Christmas Carol no less! I'll never trust a discount store ever again."

The others laughed hysterically, and for a moment, I forgot about that look in Kevin's eyes that was so hard to figure out.

A/N: I'd never thought this would happen. A Rick Roll on XD I've done it before, but it's been a LONG time. If you don't know what a Rick-Roll is, it's when you watch a video and all of a sudden Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" music video comes up. Our principal did that to us when she brought the whole high school in during fifth period to talk about some "problems we had." Haha, poor Julie anyway XD So the box shall be revealed very very soon. Promise! Please review and please please PLEASE be honest! Just…don't flame me up please.


	6. So Ben's An Idiot

Disclaimer: Don't own Ben 10 FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. We obviously know that MOA does. What, must I copy and paste it to each thing I publish? *sigh* Now I know how you guys must feel -.-

A/N: Hey hey hey! Sixth chapter and growing strong :) decided the secrets of the box shall be revealed in the next chapter. Don't kill me alright? I thought'd be a good idea to release it tomorrow, 'cause I got another idea brewing in my head. It's annoying, 'cause I'm working on this and editing my other Ben 10 fanfic series "Split." Jeez brain give me a break, would ya? BTW thank you everyone for your reviews! Makes me happy :D and for that I give you the sixth chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter Six

:Ben's POV:

After calming down Julie when she was rick-rolled, we brought her into the kitchen so she could make her cookies. I decided to ditch the pillows stuffed under my jacket and decided to strike up a little conversation as I was cookie-cutting.

"You alright now?"

Julie sighed. "For now. After this party is over, I wanna go to that store and give the manager a little piece of my mind."

I've known Julie for over a year now. She was a sweet, shy girl who could get her fiery side up if you tease her or whenever she played tennis. Or if I did something really stupid. I've gotten this girl fired up before, and believe me, once you do, you really wish you hadn't. So that manager should be hiding before she maims him.

"I'm pretty sure whoever tapped into that DVD meant it to be random, not directed to you." I put the cut cookies onto my baking sheet, rolling up the extra cookie dough to try and cut more cookies out. "You shouldn't worry about it too much."

Julie looked up, smiling. The anger seemed to disappear and she gave me that really sugary sweet smile that made her whole face light up. "You know, I would take that seriously if you weren't wearing those ridiculous elf ears."

I frowned. "They aren't that bad."

"Actually Ben, you look pretty damn stupid," Manny added, a grin on his face.

Grandpa Max gave him that You-Better-Have-Not-Said-What-I-Thought-You-Said look, the one he usually gave me when I was ten years old. Manny was just as familiar with that look as I was. "Look guys, it's a holiday themed party."

"Coming from the old man that's just wearing a Hawaiian shirt," Kevin said. Everyone laughed, even Grandpa. It was weird though, knowing that Kevin was getting along with my grandpa. It reminded me back to when he was trying to _kill_ Grandpa. It was just…really, really weird.

"Hey Ben," Julie said, making me snap out of my thoughts.

"Yeah?"

She still had that sweet smile. There was something different in that smile though. Something I couldn't quite figure out. Then she held up her hands, parting her fingers a little. There was cookie dough all over her hands, sticking to her fingers like glue. Then I realized what was going on with that suspicious smile. She was going to use cookie dough as paint and use my face as a piece of paper.

"No! Julie, don't even think about it! No!" I backed up real quick then felt my foot get caught at the bottom of my sweatpants. Then that's when I fell and everything went black.

Unconsciousness was a really weird thing. You don't know that you were until someone starts shaking you like crazy, screaming, "Oh my God he's unconscious!" Don't really remember what it felt like at all. I just woke up like it was all a dream, finding myself on the couch, lying next to Julie with an ice pack on my head.

"Hey uh…what just happened?"

Julie jumped, then relaxed. "You okay?"

"Uh…yeah…I think?" I started to get up and it felt like something was in my head, pushing on my brain. "Owww…"

"You tripped and hit your head," Julie said, her voice all soft. "I'm sorry." She leaned in, touching my face with now dough-proof, soft, warm fingers and gave me a nice peck on the cheek. "Shouldn't let you spazz out like that."

"I didn't spazz out!" I winced.

"Maybe you should just lay down a bit and get relaxed."

"But the cookies!"

Julie sighed and patted my shoulders like she was assuring a crying three year old. "We put your cookies in the oven along with the others. You get to decorate them once they're done and cooled off."

That pleased me a little and I lay back onto the couch. I snuggled into the cushions, getting myself comfortable.

"You need anything to drink?"

"Got a smoothie?"

She rolled her eyes. "No." She got up from the couch. "I'll get you some water. Keep you hydrated. Plus you do _not _need any sugar."

I noticed something, looking around the room, seeing that no one else was in there except me and Julie. "Where is everybody?"

"Oh, Gwen and Kevin are upstairs. And no, it's not what you think."

"Good. 'Cause I don't want that image in my head right now." Seriously. Gwen and Kevin making out or doing very un-abstinent things were just…no. Ew. Wrong. "And the other guys?"

"They're outside. Doing what, who knows. Your grandpa will keep them orderly though."

"Either that or he'll provoke them."

She laughed and made her way to the kitchen. I closed my eyes, trying to get some rest.

So the plans of having a great day kinda back-fired. I winded up totally knocked out by my own pants and I missed out on watching the cookies bake in the oven. But hey…everyone else was having fun right? I didn't die or anything. This hero made it through and everyone else was having a great time (Ok, let's not have Gwen and Kevin creep into our minds like that, shall we?).

So this guy saved the guys from absolute boredom. And that made me content just for that.

Though I _really _wanted to see those cookies baking.

A/N: Another one bites the dust! Trying to type two chapters, this one and the next one. Wanted to post the seventh one tonight, but there's not a lot of time and I'm really really tired (All of you: WUSS!). Promise I'll try and post it tomorrow! Don't kill me and please review :)


	7. The Box

Disclaimer: (pause)Really? Look at the other six chapters. I'm sooo tired. *whine* *complain*

A/N: IT'S THE CHAPTER YOU'VE ALLLL BEEN WAITING FOR! The box shall be revealed to Gwen…all in Gwen's POV. *sigh* I can't help it. Gwen's character is more easier to get into and a character I can relate to. You know…without all the cool powers and the roguish-charmed-jerk-with-a-heart-of-gold boyfriend. Etc. So I will stop wasting your time with these shenanigans and you can get into the box more. So read!

Chapter Seven

:Gwen's POV:

When Ben was knocked out by his own clumsiness, Kevin decided to finally tell me his little secret surprise. As Grandpa Max carried Ben to the living room and Julie prepared his ice pack, Kevin told me to go to my room and he'll be there in a moment.

When I walked into the room, my heart started to flutter around in my chest, a bunch of thoughts stampeding into my head. I imagined what he was going to do. Was he going to do something completely romantic? Sure, Kevin wasn't entirely a romantic, but he did do a lot of sweet things.

I looked at myself in the full length mirror. I looked fine, but my cheeks looked a little red. I looked away, taking a deep breath. All I had to do was relax. Whatever Kevin had planned, I had to be ready for it.

Kevin walked into the room, carrying a wooden box. He closed the door behind him and sat on my bed.

"So, what's with the box now?" I asked, keeping my tone light. I sat down next to him and he handed me the box wordlessly. I took it, examining it. It was a smooth maple with a golden clasp. It reminded me of one of those music or jewelry boxes that I had when I was a child. "What is it?"

"Open it and you can find out." He spoke so softly that I felt my heart sink a little. He sounded so saddened. This was something that was precious to him. And he wanted to show it to me.

I felt better almost. I was being included it something that belonged to him. My heart trembling, I opened the clasp and looked inside. There were old papers and pictures, aged with time. I picked through it and my eyes caught something.

It was a picture with a cute looking couple on it, surrounded by friends and family. The picture looked twenty years old, the couple dressed up in bridal wear. The girl had long black hair that reached her waist and warm brown eyes. She wore a beautiful, sleek white dress holding white, yellow and red roses. The man next to her looked handsome with short black hair slicked back and a tuxedo. He had warm brown eyes as well and a nice, confident smile on his face. He looked really familiar…

Then it hit me.

"Your father and your mother's wedding." It came out in a breath. I was speechless. I looked up at him, seeing that Kevin had that same smile that matched his father's in the picture.

"I found it when I was looking through my closet. I was cleaning out stuff and I came across this. This stuff all belongs to my dad. Pictures, notes, journal entries…it all belongs to my dad."

I looked at the wedding picture again, noticing another familiar face. "Grandpa Max. He went to their wedding too."

"Yeah. All the other guys are my Mom's family. My dad didn't have a lot of family with him because he was on Earth on for a mission. When he met my mom he…wanted to stay here longer." He smiled. "My mom's told me a lot about my dad. There's a lot of stories in my mind that I remember. It's almost like they're imprinted in my brain…and no small brain jokes please. I get that enough."

I smiled a little, though inside, there were so many emotions that were scrambled up and I couldn't settle on one. I didn't know whether to hug him or cry. He was letting me into his life, something that I had wished for so many times before.

"C'mon. Look at another one. I've only really looked at a few."

I nodded and with slight trembling hands, I picked up a small notebook. The cover's color looked like the sun had bleached it and the water had wrinkled it. It felt and looked like leather. "What's the cover made of?"

"Dunno. Leather maybe?"

"That's what I'm thinking." I opened it up to the first page. I guessed that the handwriting belonged to Devin Levin's. It wasn't messy or too elegant. It was simple, clean and easy to read. The words were all in English. "Your father was a full Osmosian right?"

"Yep."

"So he still knew English?"

"Yeah. My Mom told me that my Dad spoke fluently in a lot of languages. And not just human languages. He was fluent in every language that exists in the universe. Besides Latin. That's a dead language."

I smiled. "That's amazing. It's taken me three years in school to learn French."

"His foster father taught him every day." Devin's father died? There was a gruesome irony in that that I tried to brush off my thoughts. "And Osmosian time is different than ours. A day here is two days there. It doubles."

I froze. "So wait…your mother was seventeen and he was-"

He cut me off, laughing. He shook his head. "It may sound a little weird, but he was still considered young as an Osmosian."

I grimanced, imaging an old man and a young teenager having a kid, then I shook it off. After thinking it through, I knew that Kevin was right (yes, I know, it sounds amazing but every once in awhile, you're surprised by what he actually knows). I needed to read through the notebook, know more about Kevin's father.

I read the first entry.

_Today we went to the hospital to check on Olivia. For what, I am not sure. She seems anxious. I am still confused about the human ways, so there may be something I'm not sure of. She said she wanted me to begin to write today in this journal. Whatever is going on, she had better tell me soon. I am also starting to become anxious._

I knew the instant I began to read. "This is when your mom was pregnant."

"I've heard about this before," he nodded, leaning in to look over my shoulder. "Read the next entry."

_I finally received the news that Olivia is pregnant. I'm confused with my emotions right now. I feel excited and happy, but I am also worried. I feel great to have a child of which I can call my own, someone that can look up to me and call me a father. Then there is also the conflict of having a human child that may have my abilities. What would happen in Olivia's womb? What would happen when the baby is born? Is the child going to lose control of its powers and potential hurt itself._

_Whatever may happen, I know I will be there for him, no matter what may happen. This is my child. I know that my father did not live long enough to see me move here and become an official Plumber, but I know he was there to support me. I was his son. I am his son. And this child that will be born into this world will be mine and I will become the same father that both my mentor and my real father were to me._

I smiled, that bittersweet feeling calming my heart down. "He really loved you."

"He did." Kevin looked at me, his dark eyes seeming to shimmer. "He really did."

My heart ached. This was Kevin. He never really showed his true side to anyone except for me when he wanted to be that sweet romantic that I always saw in the movies with him. But this…the emotion he was showing now was something he had wanted to hide for the longest time. He really didn't want to break that metaphoric wall that surrounded him. He wanted that defenseless side well hidden, always showing confidence and a big smirk on his face.

That wall was broken, that defenseless flood pouring into my life.

I dropped the notebook on my lap and squeezed him tight. His hard, tense muscles seemed to relax under my touch and his big hands rested at the small of my back. I felt his head lie on my shoulder and a soft, shuddering sigh escaped from his lips. "Oh Kevin…" I sighed. "He would want you to look at all these things. Your mother knew that you would love this and your father agreed to it. Sure, he probably had no idea that he was going to have a child but…" I trailed off, not knowing what left to say.

Kevin just took a few deep breaths trying to steady himself. After a moment or two, he pulled away. He looked at me with a nice smile, the one that would make me forget to breathe and wish we were the only people left in the world. "This was a…gift from me to you. I know you said that you didn't want any gifts being handed out, but I wanted to show you this."

I couldn't produce the words. _"I think I should be the one thanking you." "It's no problem." Come on, dammit Gwen! Say something._ "Um…it's no problem." I tried again, clearing my throat. "It's no problem and…I think I should be the one thanking _you_." _There. Was that too hard to say?_

He rose an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I…I just…You're allowing me to see this. All of this." I gestured toward the box. "I would think that you would want to keep this to yourself. This is…your life."

He paused. "What would make you think that I would keep anything away from you?"

"You had a past Kevin. There are still probably some things in your life that you can't tell me about."

"I know. But this…I can show you this, can't I?"

He smiled at me again. I smiled back.

For the next hour or so we started going through his father's notebook, his arm around my waist and his chin propped up on my shoulder as I read things aloud. From what I read, I learned that Devin was a great father. He took notes on everything about the human child, saying how much he would nurture the child and teach it so many amazing things about the universe. If the child had his abilities, he would teach it that way it could control his powers. Then he talked about names for the child. He was glad to have a son and was stuck to the name Kevin Ethan Levin, the name translating to handsome, strong and beloved friend. When he talked about Kevin's birth, it brought tears to my eyes. And I almost saw a tear at the corner of Kevin's eye too.

Once we finished the journal, we started going through pictures. There were pictures of Kevin as a baby, a soft, rose colored baby that had round brown eyes and a beautiful smile. The naked pictures of him in the tub were pretty hilarious as Kevin was trying to grab them out of my hands. Then there were loose leaf sheets of paper with quotes on them. There were a few that I really loved.

_When a father gives to his son, both laugh; when a son gives to his father, both cry._

_If the relationship of father to son could be really reduced to biology, the whole earth would blaze with the glory of fathers and sons._

_Good fathers make good sons._

After some time, we lost track of it and footsteps pounded up the stairs. The door swung open with a rather annoyed Ben holding a comically large ice pack to his head. "You know, it's hard to get through to fact when you hurt your head and it's pounding like a freakin' drum. Combine that with the fact that I have had_ no idea _what was going on up here, scaring the utter freaking crap out of me, and you get one seriously P.O'd Ben. So tell me. _What the hell have you been doin' up here for the past two hours_?"

After assuring him it was nothing ,saying that we'd join him shortly and shooing him out of the room, Kevin gave me a big hug. "Well, we went through everything. Would you…like to keep it? You know…look through everything some more?"

"No, it's fine." I put everything back in the box neatly and handed the box back to him, offering the most thankful smile that I could put out. "Besides. It belongs to you."

He grinned, put the box back on my bed and gave me a kiss right on the lips. It was a soft kiss, gently moving against mine. We both disconnected with a small sigh and held each others hands as we walked downstairs to join the others.

A/N: YEYYYY! More info of the box has been revealed! *sigh* I really hope I made you guys happy. It's been a royal pain in the ass. Yesterday I was exercising on the bike and I accidentally broke the foot pedal strap without even noticing it. Then when Mom came down to use it she was all "WTF?" brought my step dad with her to double her unnecessary rage and grounded me from the laptop and my iPod. Which unsettled me to say in the very least. So I've finished this chapter in an hour and I really want to know what you think! And I heard a suggestion that I may do for an extra in this story :D Truth or Dare! (thanks mednin). So when you review, add suggestions ('cause I suck with ideas with truth or dare D: ). The more the reviews the more the chance of an extra chapter. Stay tuned for some more stories!


	8. Karaoke and Snow

Disclaimer: Aloha, bonjour. I don't own Ben 10 'cause MOA does. Adios, au revivor.

A/N: Hello guys :D Glad to know that you guys read my things as I was thinking of something for this chapter. I'm getting' all excited for this Saturday and school on the 24th. I'm not gonna be a fresh meat anymore xD Not that I was really teased…just annoyed Dx Anyway, this is the next chapter of Christmas in July :) Thanks for the people that actually still read this and offer their reviews of happiness :D Love you guys very much for that! I've been thinking of this for awhile and I've been stuck on what to do -.- So I hope that this is good enough!

:Kevin's POV:

I felt like a weight was lifted off my chest. The box was revealed to both me and Gwen, the one that I trusted the most in my life. I'd still have to show this to mom. Though it made me think that maybe mom had kept it hidden in my closet for awhile.

Once Gwen and I made it down the stairs, I felt heavy glances, filled with suspicion and smugness. Like they knew what we were doing alone in Gwen's room. For two hours. Something told me that they were definantly wrong.

"_SO _you two," Manny smirked. "What's been goin' on while we were gone?"

"Nothing. We were just talking," Gwen smiled innocently, spiking up the suspicion in the others.

"Oh really Gwen?" Manny chuckled. "For two hours?"

"Mm-hm. We were talking about how much fun we were having."

Ben snorted, hand still holding the ice pack on his head. He gave me that one look that he used to give me when I was around Gwen. "I bet you were." Was he getting all protective cousin on me?

I shot a look back. "We were. And we were enjoying everything until you showed up and-"

Max cleared his throat and we all snapped up, straightening ourselves. I mean, everyone. Manny cleaned that smug look on his face clear off, trying to look as innocent as he could. Ben relaxed, then frowned, laying back on the couch and grumbling. "We're here to have fun guys. It was Ben's idea so let's give him credit for that."

We said our thanks, me grumbling it. Gwen elbowed me, but the touch was so light, like she was absently swatting at a fly. I grinned at her, her face brightening with the color of her hair. She pouted a little, crossing her arms. Any swing she took at me was so gentle, it was like she was teasing. I tried not to overly piss her off though…You piss her off and your ass'll be hers.

"And we have karaoke right?" Helen chipped in.

"Oh yeah," Julie grinned. She went to the kitchen and brought a plastic bag in. She dug through it and pulled out a few discs. _A Cool Christmas: Karaoke Party, Santa's Blues: The Best Christmas Songs to Sing with Family and Friends _and _Christmas Karaoke Hits_ had cheesy looking covers with snowmen and little elves with microphones. I groaned inwardly. Karaoke was only fine with party songs. Christmas songs? That took it to the ultimate level of cheesiness, over 9000.

"Why?" I whined. Gwen rolled her eyes.

"It'll be fun!" Gwen smiled, holding onto my arm. Max turned on the TV to its DVD settings and Ben looked at the CDs holding up them with one hand while he was still holding the ice pack. "Even Ben's trying and he got hurt. Please Kevin?"

"Please what?"

She sighed. "Just do one song. That's all I'm asking for."

I grimanced. Sing? In front of them? Hell no. There was no way in Hell that I would sing in front of them.

She knew what I was thinking then got out the big guns. She leaned in, ignoring the fact that we had an audience, looking at me underneath her lashes, latching my eyes onto her and only her. I felt a swift urge, something that tugged on my mind. "Please Kevin? Can you sing one song for me?"

"Sure thing." Anything to let this girl happy. This insanely beautiful, wonderful girl…

She smiled then turned to Max. "Thanks. Hey, Grandpa Max, Kevin would like to sing first."

Max looked up at me, confused. "Uh…sure thing. What song?"

I asked for the list and he handed it to me. I looked at the twenty different songs and caught something at the corner of my eye. I grinned. "Number four."

Ben looked over my shoulder and bursted out laughing. He messed with the DVD himself, put on number four and the familiar music filled the room, then the laughter joined in with that. I had the biggest urge to just make the biggest fool of myself, right there.

_Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock _

_Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring_

_Snowing and blowing up bushels of fun_

_Now the jingle hop has begun_

_Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock_

_Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time_

_Dancing and prancing in Jingle Bell Square_

_In the frosty air_

As soon as I jumped into the chorus, everyone began singing along with me, Manny hooking an arm aroung Pierce's shoulder, then Pierce's arm around Cooper's shoulder. Helen, Gwen and Julie giggled and sang along, faces red as I made a complete fool of myself. Max was trying to smother a laugh and Ben didn't even try to cover it up. Alan began to join Manny, Pierce and Cooper, singing along completely off key.

_Giddy up jingle horse, pick up your feet_

_Jingle around the clock_

Then we all joined in, singing the last word for as long as we could.

_Mix and a mingle,in the jingling feet_

_That's the jingle bell, _

_That's the jingle bell_

_That's the jingle bell rock!_

All of a sudden, I felt something snap like an elastic in my mind. I looked at everyone, laughing, faces red, holding their stomachs. I felt mortified. What in God's sake did I do?

I looked at Gwen, then something hit me. She controlled me. She made me sing.

I've never felt so betrayed in my life.

Ben sighed happily, rubbing his eye. He forgot the ice pack, leaving it in his lap. "Well, after that horrifying experience, I'd say that we should keep this going. Shall we?"

"Heck yes!" Cooper grinned.

"I'd say so. I'll go next," Manny said, grabbing at the CDs lists. Once they were distracted, I caught Gwen. She was trying to join the others, then noticed how embarrassed I look. She gave me that sweet smile, like she knew that she was caught in the act. She nodded to me and tugged on my wrist. I let her pull me outside on her back patio. The night was cooling down a bit, so I didn't feel overly heated.

"What did you do back there?"

"A mind control spell. I wanted to try it and I guess it worked. I let it go though." She shrugged, smiling. "At least I didn't tell you to start stripping on the coffee table as you were singing and told you dance around with a lampshade on your head."

"Yeah. That's a good thing." Not that it really mattered. "So you know how to use that now?"

"I've been training every once in awhile. It works for a short period of time, so I knew I couldn't get away with much." She frowned a little, shoulders slumped. "Sorry. I didn't mean to take advantage of you like that."

The way that she looked, how guilty she probably felt, made me want to take back all that stupid, useless anger that I had. "No, no, no it's fine. I mean, I felt…happy with it I guess. I didn't feel embarrassed and…like you said. You could've done way worse."

She relaxed her shoulders. Then there was this stunning smile on her face that broke out and took me a moment to catch my breath. She turned toward me, her eyes lighting up. "Wanna see something really cool?"

"Uh…sure. Why not."

She closed her eyes, then opened one up. She smiled shyly. "And uh…no pun intended on the 'cool' part."

I didn't have to ask. The instant she closed her eyes, she murmured a spell, her voice soft and tentative. The heat that began to warm my skin vanished, a sharp breeze swatting at my skin. I felt goose bumps rising and I shuddered. "What is this?"

She shivered herself, wearing the outfit that didn't suit any cold weather. "Hold on…it should-"

Before she could finish, I saw it. A tiny snowflake drifted out of nowhere in the middle of the air. I watched, stunned, as it floated down. She held out a hand and let it land on her palm. It instantly melted the moment it made contact with her skin. She grinned. "Excellent! It worked!"

"Another experiment?" I tried to make it sound like a joke, but it came out raspy. I watched as two more drifted down. I held out a hand. One missed and another landed on my finger. It melted instantly too. "This is pretty freaking cool Gwen."

"I know, isn't it?" She sounded breathless, amazed. She began to laugh, holding her hands up to cup another one.

I watched her as she caught another one. She was really something. This girl was something that I had thought that I would never be able to have. Something breathtakingly beautiful with so much talent and skill. She always treated me right and never let me down. Well, and if she did somehow let me down, she would make me feel better again.

How was I so lucky?

I swooped in, hands holding her face once I pressed my lips onto hers. She jumped slightly in surprise, then relaxed. She melded into my body, hands on my chest as she kissed me back, lips moving smoothly against mine. I held her close against the cold, trying to keep her warm. I felt her shiver when I released my hold on her face and rested my hands at the small of her back.

"Something wrong?" I murmured.

She shook her hand, her eyelids drooping. She had the cutest smile on her face. "Of course not." Then she pulled me back in, back to where I've always needed to be.

A/N: Cr-raaaaaa-p. Damn. I can never get a kiss right xD Not as good as the other kiss scenes I've read like ParamoreXO and Skylark (sorry, those are the only two I can think of at the moment ^^;). Like, hello? I can't help being a major sap XD So, tell me what you think and I hope that you guys review! Be honest so I can get help with kiss scenes! Urgh…


	9. Closing Time

Disclaimer: Dear MOA. You own Ben 10. I don't. Thanks, Brandy.

A/N: Pshhh I love you guys :D Know what I don't like? MIRCOSOFT! *anger pulse* When I publish stuff, it takes words away that I typed in the story. I just realized this yesterday. Grr…So anyway. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy ^_^

:Ben's POV:

It was ten at night once we finished our karaoke. Gwen and Kevin came back from outside, joining us again. It was still weirding me out about what they were doing in her room for two hours, but I couldn't let it get to me. My head still throbbed where I hit the floor, so thinking any harder than I was hurt me even more. I just settled on ignoring it and just letting it go. I was having fun, singing a bunch of Christmas songs. I was singing along with Manny to the song with the Heat Meister, when Gwen stepped in, holding Kevin's hand.

"Hey guys! Who's ready to decorate the cookies?" Gwen asked us. We all spun to her and I heard my stomach roar in response. Cookies. I didn't care about dang decorating. Screw that. I needed sugar cookies. Now.

I rushed to the kitchen before anyone else and looked for mine. My cookies laid there on the cookie sheet with my name scribbled on it. I ignored the tubs of frosting and buckets of sprinkles and dove head first into my stash.

I finished the first one, biting into the second one when I heard them whispering.

"Should I be concerned?" Julie asked.

"I know I am," Gwen mumbled.

Kevin laughed. "He's gonna go along with this for awhile. Let's just get decorating."

:Julie's POV:

Seeing Ben tear through the cookies kind of scared me. He scarfed five down in record timing, crumbs flying everywhere. The others tried to ignore them, but it was unsuccessful. They all laughed at him and I couldn't help but join in. I wiggled my way in next to Ben and Manny, getting to my cookies. There were five colors of frosting in five tiny bowls with sprinkles spread around the counter.

I took the knife at my station and spread some white frosting on my candy cane shaped cookie. "Ben?"

"Mmph?" He looked up at me, white flakes and crumbs all over his mouth, even on his cheeks. I pursed my lips, trying to keep in a laugh, then he shrugged, seeing that it wasn't really important to him, then went back to the cookies.

"It's no use. Once he's done with his cookies, he'll pay attention to what you say."

"I know right?" I sighed. Within five minutes, Ben whimpered.

"The cookies are gone…" He turned to me, widening his eyes and jetting out his bottom lip. "Can I have another cookie?"

I smiled. "You had yours. All twenty of them."

"But they're all gone! What am I gonna do now?" He gave his best puppy eyes. "Please? One?"

I grinned. I gave him one without any frosting and he beamed eagerly, gnawing on it. He gave me a quick peck on the cheek, a warm shot of eagerness pouring into my skin. I couldn't help but smile at him. "You're welcome."

He threw his arms around me, resting his chin on my shoulder. "So. On a scale of one to infinity. How does this grade as?"

"Half of an infinity."

"That doesn't exist!"

"Sure it does!"

"No it doesn't!"

Kevin cut in. "OK you two lovebirds. Enough of the arguing."

I couldn't help but smile. Lovebirds? We weren't totally goggly-eyed at each other, but heck. It was a nice thing to mention. You know…me and Ben dating. OK, this has gotten really awkward. I should stop.

After decorating and Ben helping with a few of mine, Gwen gave all of us little baggies for our cookies. Once the frosting dried, we stuffed them in our bags.

"OK kids," Max yawned, stretching. "I think it's time for all of us to go back home."

"Yeah, I'd think so," Pierce nodded. "It's starting to get late."

"Let's help Gwen clean up though," Cooper chirped. He blushed, looking at Gwen. "You set everything up. It's the least we can do."

Gwen grinned, leaning down to hug him. "Thank you Cooper. That would be really nice." She got a trash bag and we all began to throw the trash in there. Plastic cups, empty bags of chips, paper plates empty liters of soda and the stupid DVD that Rick-Rolled me. Manny, Helen, Alan, Cooper and Max said their goodbyes.

Ben sighed happily. "Well, that was a success."

"I wouldn't mind doing that again," Gwen nodded. "That was a good idea Ben."

"Yeah, not bad for a pint like you," Kevin smirked, ruffling Ben's hair. Ben pushed his hand away, frowning and trying to fix the elf ear that slightly slipped off. "Meh, I'd do it again too."

"Agreed," I smiled. "Now, can I get a ride back home?"

Ben held up his keys. "Sure thing." He shot a glance at Gwen and Kevin. "You two behave while we're gone now, you hear?"

"Yes mom," Gwen rolled her eyes. "We'll be on our best behavior."

Ben tugged me outside and we jumped into his car. His leather seats were hot. I could feel it through my capris and the back of my shirt. I avoided the metal of the buckle as I strapped in. Ben started the car and drove out of the driveway. He looked in the rearview mirror, turning his head. He kept his eyes on what he was doing, a smirk on his face. "I'm the biggest and best inventor in the world. Go on. Praise me."

"You get enough of that being _the _Ben 10. You don't need any more of a larger ego."

He laughed. "Maybe not." Once he was on the road, he relaxed in his seat. "That was a lot of fun though."

"It was. Though I'm surprised that you had a fun time. Even with your injury."

He snorted. "Nothing stops Ben Tennyson."

"Of course not." I relaxed back into the seat. "We're going to do this next year."

"Most defiantly."

We both had no idea what the next party was going to lead to, but hell. A Christmas in July is something that only comes once a year. You enjoy it while you can.

A/N: No idea how to end it so…there ya go. Next chapter is the last one I'm afraid D: But I promise it'll be good. Or so help me…ha ha don't know if Saturday will be an off day. It's my 15th birthday and my fam and I will be going to the Annapolis Mall :D Chevy's, Barnes and Noble…and my Mom's been signing me up for a lot of stuff like Hollister and Abercrombie and Fitch (which is the least likely thing I imagine myself wearing :p) so I'm going to be having a lot of fun. Then The Last Airbender on the day after that at the base theater…should be a fun last free week before school starts on the 24th :) I'm going to try and post stuff when I can. When school comes around, I'm only allowed on the laptop on weekends D: So yeah…review pleazzzz :D


	10. Getting Ready

Disclaimer: See all nine other chapters. *shrug*

Author's Notes: JUST LOST MY WHOLE *honk*ing chapter! My computer just turned off in the middle of me typing in everything. So I'm letting this go on longer. NOT THE LAST CHAPTER NOW! *#$&)(#( Microsoft and Vista. Grr. I only got so much time. SO here I go. AGAIN.

20 Years Later

"KENNY! COME DOWN HERE BEFORE I COME UP THERE!"

"Oh jeez ma, just a few more minutes?"

"Kenny…"

Kenny knew that voice. His mother's sharp, one-and-only warning tone that'd said that he'd better get his ass down there real quick before his mom could think of a horrible punishment. Like no video games or internet for an hour. That'd suck really bad. "OK, I'm coming, I'm coming already! Yeesh…" He shoved his arms into his tuxedo jacket and dashed out of his room, leaving his game controller on. He dashed down the stairs and saw his mom stand there, arms crossed and a small smirk on her face.

"See? Just do what you're told and you don't have to worry what I'm going to do." She took a step closer, tilting her head. "You have a little smudge on your cheek. Is that pizza sauce?"

"Where?" He frantically rubbed at his cheek and froze. He just rubbed it on his jacket. In front of his mom. He readied himself for a full blown rant, but paused, realizing she was laughing. _Laughing._

"Like father, like son," she sighed. She brushed a strand of long black hair out of her face and leaned down. "Omnitrix on?"

"Yep. Ready for action whenever it calls," he grinned, holding it up. He got the Omnitrix from Azmuth, the alien that gave his dad the original Omnitrix. Since Dad didn't need the Omnitix anymore, Kenny was his lesser sidekick with smaller powers. But as a confident thirteen year old human boy, having the Omnitrix was pretty damn sweet.

"Good." She stood up. "Hey, Sakura, are you ready?"

Sakura, Kenny's little sister, stood at the front door, wearing a red blouse and white shorts. Her short black hair was clipped up with a white blossom clip and her tiny, Japanese eyes were framed with mascara. "Yes."

"Ben? You all ready to go?"

Ben Tennyson walked in, tuxedo framing his muscular build, the Ultimatrix standing out the most. Kenny grinned up at his dad, and he grinned back with the same eagerness. "Whenever you are Julie."

"And it just so happens that I am," Julie nodded. "Come on guys. We're going to be late to Bellwood's 10th annual Christmas in July festival." She took Sakura's hand and lead her out the door. Kenny turned to his dad.

"They totally took that idea from you," he accused. His dad said it before, and he said it with the same annoyed tone.

"Yeah," Ben sighed, patting Kenny's back. They walked to the car. "Just let me tell you something though. It is a lot of fun, right?"

"It is. Kinda."

Ben laughed, patting his back. "Well, something tells me it'll be fun even more today."

Kenny perked up. Did Dad have something special planned? A secret. "Really? How?"

Ben just smiled. "Double digit. 1-0. Ought to be something special." He pushed Kenny into the back, chuckling when Kenny let out a groan.

-Levin's House-

Gwen examined herself in the mirror, tilting to the left side, then the right. The red gown slimmed around her body, her long, auburn curls framing the bump of her stomach. She looked beautiful, her hands resting on the bump. She watched herself smile, then smiled wider.

"Wow. Gorgeous as usual."

Kevin stood at the door, long black hair tied in a ponytail and a tuxedo forming to his body. He was leaner now, but still had his muscular build. He had a battle scar running along his cheek, remembrance of a battle five years ago.

"Thank you. Not too bad yourself." She wrapped her arms around his neck and he smirked. "What?"

"You know. It's hard to let you go outside with you looking so beautiful. I should keep you here. Candles…wine…KY…"

Gwen snorted, rolling her eyes. "Kevin. Let me remind you of something. First, I'm very much so pregnant. No man's really going to stare at me except the stomach. Two, I'm pregnant. Sex is not an option."

"It can't if you just do a few tricks I've-"

"Don't tell me you've been reading my motherhood magazines," Gwen deadpanned.

"…No."

Gwen laughed, shaking her head. "Sex is also not an option when-"

"EWWWWWWWWWWW!"

Gwen and Kevin turned toward the door in horror. Delvin stood there in his little tux and green tie, wide blue eyes filled with disgust and horror.

"You two are talking about sex! Ew, ew, ewww!" He ran away and they both heard a door slam and the contunious chanting of "ew"s. Gwen sighed.

"Well. The party should be interesting…"

Kevin chuckled. "You're telling me."

Gwen and Kevin walked to Delvin's room, trying an attempt to calm their 13 year old son down.

A/N: sigh. Stupid laptop. I attempted to clean up loose ends and end it nicely, but once it shut off abruptly, I lost it. It both ways. I'm still pissed D SO review plz. The magazine thing was inspired by when I was at a friend's house and her sister heard us go over our health exam. It was pretty freaking hilarious D


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